Fill system for fuel and liquid

ABSTRACT

A fill system, particularly for use as a fuel fill system for filling a tank of a vehicle such as a boat, is disclosed including a fill device for mounting on the vehicle and a closure for substantially closing an opening of the fill. The closure is generally a unitary component provided a vent to the atmosphere for pressure balance between the atmosphere and the fuel tank of the vehicle. The closure includes a vent passageway leading to one or more vent ports, and the construction of the vent passageway and ports minimizes fuel splashing through the closure.

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/736,411, filed Nov. 14, 2005, titled “Fuel Filler Neck.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to fills for conveyance of fluid and, in particular, to a fuel fill for conveyance of fuel to a fuel tank permitting pressure equilibration with the atmosphere via a vent.

BACKGROUND

A fill is a device typically mounted on a vehicle and, more specifically to the present application, to a watercraft such as a boat. The fill provides access for filling a fuel tank of the boat with fuel and, more specifically, is secured with one or more tubes leading to a fuel tank so that fuel is pumped into an opening in the fill, the tubes being in fluid communication with the fuel tank. A closure or cap is secured with or on the fill to substantially close the opening of the fill. Most commonly, the cap is removable to provide access to the opening, and is securable to close substantially the opening.

A typical fill system, the closure and the fill itself, includes a vent to the atmosphere to balance pressure within the fuel tank. During operation of the boat, the fuel will be drawn from the fuel tank by the fuel line and into the engine. In a closed system, a negative pressure would be experienced due to the drop in fuel level. This negative pressure makes it difficult for the boat's fuel pump to force fuel into the engine for normal operation. Alternatively, when the boat is idle for an extended period of time, the volatile fuel turns to a gaseous or vaporous state, the amount of which is dependent on the pressure and temperature in the tank. In a closed system, this may result in a positive pressure in the fuel tank, when compared with atmosphere. A positive pressure can result in too much fuel being driven into the engine, resulting in poor engine performance, and can result in injuries if fuel spray is released when the closure is opened by a person in order to pump fuel into the fuel tank. The vent addresses these problems by allowing fluid/gaseous communication from the atmosphere outside of the fuel storage system with the volume within the fuel storage system.

A vent system usually consisted of a much smaller tubular passage than the fill pipe, and it is constructed with a fuel tank to eliminate fuel splashes caused by the trapped air in the tank during fueling. This vent line is either connected to an independent vent or to the fill itself at a point where the opening is not obstructed by the fueling device. Splashing or spillage of fuel through the vent results in fuel loss, and its attendant economic cost and environmental impact, and can damage the boat itself. For the case where the vent is constructed into the fill, if the openings are not properly engineered, splashed fuel could also injure the fueling operator.

There have been a number of solutions to the problem of fuel leakage or splashing. One manner is having a one-way valve, which does not alleviate both negative and positive pressures. Another, more common manner, is providing a fuel cap with a member that easily shifts to close the vent. Were fuel to be forced upward to the opening, the member is contacted by the fuel so that the member is forced into a position that covers the vent port. While this is a reasonable solution, it is not a perfect solution, and generally requires a number of components.

As examples of the shifting member design, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,946, to Perkins, and to U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,324, to Whitley II, et al. In each of these, several components need be manufactured and assembled in multiple stages to allow a member to shift when contacted by fuel to cover a vent port. Nonetheless, the movable members are not immediately reactive to the fuel contact, so that a small amount of fuel may be able to pass through the vent. For instance, the '946 patent describes an auxiliary biasing spring that could be provided, the bias of which need be overcome. Such a spring would, on the other hand, assist in forcing the otherwise gravity-biased movable member downward which: in the absence of the spring, the cap would risk the movable member being stuck upward.

Another expensive and inconvenient design for addressing spillage is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,645, to Pountney. In the '645 patent, a system is shown having a first cap and fill arrangement for filling a tank, a second cap and fill arrangement where spillage is contained for recovery, and a vent line leading from the spillage recovery arrangement. This requires a significant number of components, and a significant amount of effort to assembly and mount in a boat.

Accordingly, there has been a need for a vent for a fill and closure that is simpler and more reliable.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect, a closure for a fill is disclosed, the closure including a unitary component having a first portion connectable with the fill and a second portion for spanning across the first portion to substantially close the fill, wherein a vent opening is formed between the first and second portions and extends laterally outwardly therefrom to provide fluid communication with the fill and atmosphere outside of the closure. The vent opening may include a series of vent ports to the atmosphere. The vent opening may be positioned outboard of a vent tube opening in the fill.

The closure may include an exterior surface bearing indicia indicating an orientation for the closure when secured with the fill. The orientation may indicate a desirable orientation of the vent opening relative to an opening in a vent tube of the fill.

The closure may include a compressible sealing member located around the first portion for preventing liquid passage between the closure and the fill.

The closure may include a cavity in the first portion in fluid communication with an opening in the fill, and a passageway in fluid communication with the cavity and with the vent opening. The unitary component may further include a recessed portion in fluid communication with the cavity and with the passageway.

In another aspect, a fill system is disclosed including a fill member and a unitary closure member, the a fill member including a fill passage for fluid conveyance, the closure member being connectable with the fill member for substantially closing the fill passage, the closure member including a vent passageway in fluid communication from an interior of the fill member and an atmospheric exterior of the closure when secured with the fill member. The closure member may have a first portion connectable with the fill member and a second portion for spanning across the first portion to substantially close the fill member, wherein the vent passageway is formed between the first and second portions and extends laterally outwardly therefrom to provide fluid communication with the fill member and the atmospheric exterior.

The fill system may further include a compressible sealing member located around the first portion of the closure member to prevent fluid flow between the fill and closure members.

The vent passageway may include a vent opening to the atmosphere. The fill system may further include a compressible sealing member located around the first portion of the closure member to prevent fluid flow between the fill and closure members, the sealing member providing a gap between the fill and closure members to permit venting to the atmosphere therethrough. The vent opening may include a series of vent ports.

The fill member may include a vent tube having an opening into the fill passage, and the closure member vent opening is positioned outboard of the vent tube opening in the fill passage.

The fill member may include a vent tube having a fire arrestor therewithin, the fire arrestor including porous incombustible material that renders little resistance to gas flow through the vent tube.

The closure member may include an exterior surface bearing indicia indicating an orientation for the closure member when secured with the fill member. The fill member may include a vent tube having an opening into the fill passage, the vent passageway may include a vent opening, and the indicia may indicate a desirable orientation of the vent opening relative to the vent tube opening.

The closure member may include a cavity in fluid communication with the fill passage, and may include a vent passageway in fluid communication with the cavity and with the vent opening. The closure member may further include a recessed portion in fluid communication with the cavity and with the vent passageway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a fill allowing access to a fuel tank for pumping fuel thereinto and a closure for generally closing the fill, the closure having a tab movable from a recessed position shown in FIG. 1A to an extended position in FIG. 1B for grasping to rotate the closure during securing and releasing of the closure with the fill;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in cross-section of the fill and closure of FIG. 1A with the closure disconnected from the fill;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view in cross-section similar to that of FIG. 2 showing the closure connected and secured with the fill;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an interior passageway of the fill and a bottom side of the closure, and showing a connector for retaining the closure with the fill;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the fill showing portions of the interior passageway therethrough; and

FIG. 7 is a front side elevational view of the fill with portions of the interior passageway shown in phantom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring initially to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2, a fill system 10 is shown having a fill 12 and a closure 14 secured thereto. Fuel is poured or pumped into the fill 12 for conveyance to a fuel tank (not shown), and the closure 14 is secured or connected with the fill 12 to generally close the fill 12 and is removed or disconnected from the fill 12 to permit access for the fuel conveyance. As used herein, the term fuel refers generally to liquid and the term gas refers generally to materials in a gaseous form, whether that is vaporized or gaseous fuel, air, or a mixture thereof. It should also be noted the fill system 10 and fill 12 are equally usable for other liquids, such as water, and the use of the term fuel herein is obviously used for convenience.

When installed, preferably in a marine application, the fill 12 is in fluid communication with the fuel tank through major and inferior passageways 20 a, 22 a(see FIG. 2). The major passageway 20 a, defined by a fill tube 20, is principally used as the direct conduit through which fuel is conveyed to the fuel tank. The inferior passageway 22 a, defined by a vent tube 22, principally allows gas (and, in an overflow situation, fuel) to pass from the fuel tank back to the fill 12. The fill 12 has a large upper opening 24, referred to herein as the mouth 24, from which both of the fill tube 20 and vent tube 22 branch. In operation, a fuel nozzle (not shown) would be inserted into the mouth 24 and, preferably, at least a short distance into the fill tube 20 for conveying fuel into the fuel tank via the fill tube 20. During this time, gas that is present in the fuel tank is displaced therefrom, and this gas is forced through the vent tube 22 to the mouth 24 for release to the atmosphere.

It should be noted that the fill tube 20 and vent tube 22 would be typically constructed as shown in the Figs., and then connected with other tubes or passageways that lead to the fuel tank. However, for simplicity's sake, the terms fill tube 20 and vent tube 22 will be used to refer to the structure as shown as well as the connecting tube intermediate the shown structure and the fuel tank.

A fire arrestor 23 is located in the vent tube 22, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The fire arrestor 23 includes a screen 23 a or other structure that is porous and incombustible so that flow therethrough is permitted. An arrestor frame 23 b retains the screen 23 a and secures with the vent tube 22. As shown, the vent tube 22 narrows at it leads upward toward the mouth 24, and the arrestor frame 23b is inserted into the vent tube 22 and pressed into this narrowing portion so that it and the screen 23 a are retained therein. Thus, the fire arrestor 23 renders little resistance to the gas flow in the passage yet is able to quench fire started from the mouth 24 or outside the fill system 10. It should be noted that the fire arrestor 23 is accessible or removable for changing and/or cleaning.

The vent tube 22, in cooperation with the closure 14, also serves to provide pressure balance with the atmosphere. As discussed above, the pressure within the fuel storage system (including the fuel tank, the fill 12, and passageways therebetween) is desirably balanced with the atmosphere. In order to achieve this, the vent tube 22 is connected to a portion of the fuel tank that, preferably, is above an expected fuel level. In this manner, gas from the fuel tank can escape through the vent tube 22 while fuel generally does not pass therethrough.

Under some operating conditions the fuel may be forced upwardly through the vent tube 22. For instance, inertial or centripetal forces on the fuel during sharp and high speed maneuvers in a boat may force the fuel into the vent tube 22. In some instances, the fuel would only move a partial distance through the vent tube 22 to move upward. However, in other instances, the fuel passes through the vent tube 22 and into the mouth 24. With the closure 14 in place, the fuel simply flows back down into the fuel tank via the fill tube 20.

The pressure balance with the atmosphere is not achieved by the vent tube 22 and fill tube 20 alone, instead necessitating a vent port 30 in the closure 14 (see also FIG. 4, showing a series of vent ports 30 a). As noted above, the prior art makes use of multi-component systems for allowing an opening to the atmosphere outside of the closure. As described herein, the present closure 14 may be formed principally of a single component, which may be cast or molded, for example, thus eliminating the manufacture and assembly of these components, and thus being simpler, cheaper, and more reliable than those of the prior art.

The closure 14 includes an upper cover portion 40 from which a lower cylindrical portion 42 depends. A vent passageway 44 is formed in the closure 14 that, when the closure 14 is secured with the fill 12, allows the vent port 30 to be in fluid communication with the fill mouth 24 and, therefore, the vent tube 22.

The closure cylindrical portion 42 and fill 12 include cooperating structure for securing the closure 14 with the fill 12. As shown, the cylindrical portion 42 has external male threads 50 that are received by female threads 52 located on the inner surface of the fill 12 and around the mouth 24. Accordingly, the closure 14 is threadably coupled (connected) or disconnected with the fill 12.

A gasket 54 is provided on the cylindrical portion 42 of the closure 14 for assisting in securing the closure 14 with the fill 12. The gasket 54 fulfills a number of purposes including restricting any flow of fuel that may pass between the threads from flowing out from the fuel fill system 10 in general. It should be made clear that the gasket 54 does not provide a complete seal between the closure 14 and the fill 12, due to the presence of the vent port 30. However, the gasket 54 is elastic or rubberized material. Therefore, it is compressed between the fill 12 and the closure 14. This provides resistance to any tendency of the closure 14 to back-out or unthread from the fill 12, and does so without excessive pressure needing to be applied to the threads 50, 52 themselves, thus prolonging the life of the threads. Importantly, this allows for greater tolerance or clearance between the threads so that connection/disconnection of the closure 14 minimally wears on the threads 50, 52 and stripping due to mismatch of the threads is reduced. For instance, T-threading may be used.

Above and around the mated threads, the gasket 54 is intended to seal the closure 14 with the fill 12 to prevent fuel leakage thereacross. Towards this end, the fill 12 includes a beveled shoulder 60 angling upwardly and outwardly formed around the mouth 24 above the fill threads 52. The closure cover portion 40 extends radially outwardly from the cylindrical portion 42, and an annular channel 66 is positioned at the juncture therebetween so that the cover portion 40 and cylindrical portion 42 form a shoulder 68. While a portion of the gasket 54 is inserted into the channel 66, the gasket 54 is sized so that it extends beyond the channel 66. When the closure 14 is threaded into the fill 12, the gasket 54 is compressed between the shoulders 60 and 68.

With specific reference to FIG. 3, the vent passageway 44 communicating with the vent port 30 and the fill mouth 24 can be seen. The closure cylindrical portion 42 has an internal cavity 70 that is open to the mouth 24. The interior or bottom side of the cover portion 40 has an excavated or recessed portion 72 that rises above the cylindrical portion 42, and the vent passageway 44 passes through the cover portion 40 from the recessed portion 72 to the vent port 30. As a result, gas is free to pass from the vent port 30 to the mouth 24, and vice versa, through the vent passageway 44. As can be seen in FIG. 3, a small gap 74 is provided between the cover portion 40 and the fill 12 at an outboard position from the threaded portions thereof. As can also be seen, in order for gas to pass therethrough, the gas must proceed upward into the interior of the recessed portion 72, then pass through the vent passageway 44, and finally exit through the vent port 30 and the gap 74.

Though not necessary, the ability of the construction to restrict fuel spillage through the vent port 30 benefits from providing a specific orientation to the closure 14 when secured with the fill 12. With reference to FIG. 5, the mouth 24 of the fill 14 is shown so that a vent opening 22 b into the mouth 24 can be seen; in comparing FIG. 5 (as well as FIG. 4) with FIG. 3, it can be seen how the angle and direction of the fuel, if such were to pass through the vent tube 22 and the vent opening 22 b into the mouth 24, would result in the fuel being deflected back toward the center of the mouth 24 and toward the center of the closure cylindrical portion cavity 70. In order to reach the vent passageway 44 in the recessed portion 72, the fuel would then need to reverse its direction and move back outwardly. An occurrence that allows any appreciable amount of fuel to pass through the vent port 30 is unlikely, due to the nature of the forces which are forcing the fuel upward and generally against gravity.

With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, indicia 76 such as that depicting a fuel pump may be presented on the exterior of the closure 14 which indicates a proper orientation of the vent port 30 when the closure 14 is secured with the fill 12. In the present embodiment, a wall 77 is provided (see FIGS. 3 and 4) as a splash guard. The wall 77 extends inwardly into the mouth 24 at a position just above the opening of the vent tube 22 to deflect fuel away from the closure 13, reducing the likelihood of passing into the recessed portion 72, vent passageway 44, and vent port 30, and serving to protect a person pumping fuel into the fuel tank from an overflow/splashing occurrence. In embodiments utilizing the splash guard wall 77, the indicia 76 may indicate the vent port 30 being aligned with the wall 77 so that splashing fuel is directed by the wall 77 away from the vent port 30, vent passageway 44, and recessed portion 72. In the absence of the splash guard wall 77, the indicia 76 may be positioned to indicate the vent port 30 being non-aligned with the opening 22 b of the vent tube 22 so that splashing fuel does not go directly toward the recessed portion 72, vent passageway 44, and vent port 30.

As noted, the closure 14 can be a single piece cast or molded component. The gasket 54 is simply installed around/in the channel 66, and the fill 12 may be a separate molded component (though the wall 77 may be a second piece mounted in the molded fill 12). The manufacture of the closure 14, being a single component, is much easier than the prior art devices requiring multiple components and shifting valves. Furthermore, the present fuel fill system 10 is much more reliable than the prior art devices as the lack of moving parts minimizes faulty operation of the vent feature provided by the vent port 30. The construction of the closure 14 including the vent port 30 and vent passageway 44 obviates much of the need for structure in the fill 12 itself to deflect fuel away from the closure 14. It should also be noted that the fuel fill system 10 shows the fill tube 20 and vent tube 22 set at a 45 degree angle relative to the mouth 24 and the closure 14, though this angle may be varied, such as being at zero degrees.

It should be noted that the fill 12 may be provided with bolt holes 80 (FIG. 4) for receiving bolts 82 (FIG. 5) so that fill 12 may be secured with the vehicle, such as a boat. The bolt holes 80 are positioned outside of the mouth 24 and away from the gasket 54 so that other features of the operation of the fuel fill system 10 are not impeded, and the gasket 54 does not wear against the bolt holes 80 and bolts 82. It should also be noted that the internal cavity 70 of the closure cylindrical portion 42 preferably has a depending post 84 adapted for securing an end of a chain 96 (FIG. 4) or other retainer, the other end of the chain 96 being connected with the interior of fill 12 around or in the mouth 24. In this manner, the chain 96 keeps the closure 14 from being separated from the fill 12, which may result simply from careless handling or from rocking of a boat while being fueled with the closure 14 disconnected to allow access into the mouth 24 by a fuel nozzle.

The closure 14 is equipped with an ergonomically shaped finger recess 100 to allow a finger grip 102 to be pivoted from a recessed position (FIG. 1A) within the exterior surface of the closure 14 to an extended position (FIG. 1B) allowing a user to rotatably manipulate the closure 14. In the recessed position, the finger grip 102 is preferably flush or below the exterior surface of the closure 14 so that the risk of the grip 102 (or the closure 14 itself) is minimized. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the exterior surface of the closure 14 includes a recess 104 for the finger grip 102 which conveniently helps to define the cavity 70 of the closure 14 leading to the vent passageway 44, thereby minimizing materials.

While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 

1. A closure for a fill, the closure comprising: a unitary component having a first portion connectable with the fill and a second portion for spanning across the first portion to substantially close the fill, wherein a vent opening is formed between the first and second portions and extends laterally outwardly therefrom to provide fluid communication with the fill and atmosphere outside of the closure.
 2. The closure of claim 1 wherein the vent opening comprises a series of vent ports.
 3. The closure of claim 1 wherein the vent opening is positioned outboard of a vent tube opening in the fill.
 4. The closure of claim 1 wherein the component includes an exterior surface bearing indicia indicating an orientation for the closure when secured with the fill.
 5. The closure of claim 4 wherein the orientation indicates a desirable orientation of the vent opening relative to an opening in a vent tube of the fill.
 6. The closure of claim 1 further including a compressible sealing member located around the first portion for preventing liquid passage between the closure and the fill.
 7. The closure of claim 1 including a cavity in the first portion in fluid communication with an opening in the fill, and a passageway in fluid communication with the cavity and with the vent opening.
 8. The closure of claim 7 wherein the unitary component further includes a recessed portion in fluid communication with the cavity and with the passageway.
 9. A fill system comprising: a fill member including a fill passage for fluid conveyance; and a unitary closure member connectable with the fill member for substantially closing the fill passage, the closure member including a vent passageway in fluid communication from an interior of the fill member and an atmospheric exterior of the closure when secured with the fill member.
 10. The fill system of claim 9 wherein the closure member has a first portion connectable with the fill member and a second portion for spanning across the first portion to substantially close the fill member, wherein the vent passageway is formed between the first and second portions and extends laterally outwardly therefrom to provide fluid communication with the fill member and the atmospheric exterior.
 11. The fill system of claim 9 further including a recessed portion to receive a compressible sealing member located around the first portion of the closure member to prevent fluid flow between the fill and closure members.
 12. The fill system of claim 9 further including a compressible sealing member located around the first portion of the closure member to prevent fluid flow between the fill and closure members
 13. The fill system of claim 9 wherein the vent passageway includes a vent opening to the atmosphere.
 14. The fill system of claim 13 further including a compressible sealing member located around the first portion of the closure member to prevent fluid flow between the fill and closure members, the sealing member providing a gap between the fill and closure members to permit venting to the atmosphere therethrough.
 15. The fill system of claim 14 wherein the closure member further includes a recessed portion for receiving the compressible sealing member.
 16. The fill system of claim 14 wherein the vent opening comprises a series of vent ports.
 17. The fill system of claim 9 wherein the fill member includes a vent tube having an opening into the fill passage, and the closure member vent opening is positioned outboard of the vent tube opening in the fill passage.
 18. The fill system in claim 9 further including a fire arrestor, wherein the fill member includes a vent tube having an opening into the fill passage, and the fire arrestor is located within the vent tube.
 19. The fill system in claim 18 wherein the fire arrestor includes a porous portion for permitting flow therethrough.
 20. The fill system in claim 18 wherein the fire arrestor is accessible for cleaning or removal.
 21. The fill system of claim 9 wherein the closure member includes an exterior surface bearing indicia indicating an orientation for the closure member when secured with the fill member.
 22. The fill system of claim 21 wherein the fill member includes a vent tube having an opening into the fill passage, wherein the vent passageway includes a vent opening, and the indicia indicates a desirable orientation of the vent opening relative to the vent tube opening.
 23. The fill system of claim 9 wherein the closure member includes a cavity in fluid communication with the fill passage, and includes a vent passageway in fluid communication with the cavity and with the vent opening.
 24. The fill system of claim 9 wherein the closure member further includes a recessed portion in fluid communication with the cavity and with the vent passageway.
 25. The fill system of claim 9 wherein the closure member further includes an exterior surface with a manually movable portion secured thereon, the movable portion providing a grip for securing or removing the closure member from the fill member. 